If you ever want to drop out of the spotlight, Jared Putnam can give you some tips.

The San Antonio-based singer, songwriter and guitarist hasn't been flying under the radar for the past few years — he's been off the radar completely.

“When I quit, I really walked away,” Putnam said. “I didn't go to shows. I wasn't on Facebook. I didn't want anyone to find me. I really needed a break. I was in rock 'n' roll recovery. I was doing my steps.”

Putnam, 35, started his rock life in El Paso.

“In high school, I was in a heavy metal band. I used to throw shows. I played in a band in college. I never had to get a job. I made a living playing shows and promoting shows,” he said.

Putnam worked in a band called Level. The group cut a record, toured the U.S. and Canada, was courted by a label, changed its name to The Conversation, spent a lot of time in Los Angeles, and kept touring.

The original big label deal “just didn't work out,” Putnam said. “Dead Letter Records signed us to a two-album deal. We were pretty jaded by what had happened. We were going to get the big deal. Instead, we were in a van, eating beans on a $5 a day per diem. The band broke up, and I wasn't ready to quit.”

The first The Conversation album, “Last in Line,” came out in '03 and did pretty well. The indie-rocking sound drew fans across the country. When the second album, “Blue,” was released the next year, Putnam toured solo, working 200 shows a year.

“I moved to California and I just burned out,” he said. “I'd been to all 50 states and all the provinces in Canada. I came back to work on an album and I just couldn't imagine doing it. It really was just a burnout.”

Putnam moved back to Texas. He spent some time in Austin before settling in San Antonio five years ago. He got married. His wife, Stephanie, did not know him when he was making a living with music.

“I decided I didn't want to be in a band for a job,” he said. “I had quit college. Can you imagine what my résumé looked like? I got a job waiting tables. Now I work for an insurance agency.”

But — and you knew that “but” was coming — Putnam and some friends in Austin started playing with some songs on an old demo tape.

“The hook got back in me,” he said. “I realized it's what I wanted. I made up my mind I wanted to make an album. I bought a Pro Tools rig and started playing again. All the work I've done before makes it easy to step back into it.”

On Feb. 12, Dead Letter Records will release the album “Music for Film” by the March Divide. The first single, “Still Analog,” is making the streaming audio rounds. Putnam recorded “Music for Film” with friends, including The Conversation veterans Jorge Ramirez (bass) and Mike Hernandez (drums, percussion), plus Laura Wheeler (vocals, cello).

“I just set out to make the best record I could,” Putnam said. “I wanted to be in a situation where I could land on my feet. And I wanted it to be a band. I also wanted to make an album that, if you see me playing the songs by myself or with a band of 10 people, you won't be disappointed.”

Putnam and the March Divide plan to tour, perhaps not with the intensity they did when they were 20, but work will be done.

“I think San Antonio is a huge opportunity,” he said. “I'm not going to say I know the scene here because I don't. But I'm excited about the opportunity to be a band from San Antonio.”

“Music for Film” strikes a balance between jangling guitar indie rock and lyric-driven power pop. Some of the songs, including “Still Analog” and “Jose Cuervo,” date to when Putnam was touring solo. Some are new.

“The songwriting, that's what I get out of it,” he said. “Writing songs is the best way I know to say something. It's a great way to get stuff off my chest, whether it's resentment or a good feeling. I was completely away from music for five or six years. I feel like I lived in a bomb shelter. But it came back pretty quickly.”

The music business has changed since Putnam and The Conversation released “Last in Line” a decade ago.

“Selling the music might be a little harder, but getting it out there is easier,” he said. “It's a world scene now. The days of the platinum bands might be over, but the days of making a good living making music are not. This is the first time you can make a living being good rather than being what somebody else says is good. It's not all about the money, but, whether it's about the money or not, this is still a hot town and I have to pay my AC bill and buy gas.”